Adversity Quotient Of Junior-high Students And Its Implication For English Teaching

Adversity quotient was first put forward by Paul G. Stoltz, in 1997. It refers to an individual’s mental endurance and problem-solving ability in adverse conditions. AQ conditions the effort made in a new language and the extent to which a person persists in learning the language. Behavioral problems in study are often, or always, linked to a low adversity quotient. To achieve ideal effect in EFL(English as Foreign Language) classroom, English teachers should concentrate on how to raise language learners’ adversity quotient efficiently. Only by learning language learners’ adversity quotient thoroughly can English teachers timely adjust teaching behaviors to improve learners’ learning efficiency. In recent years, researchers at home and abroad have conducted a lot of researches on adversity quotient, but most of them take normal university students or vocational college students as research subjects. Related researches on junior-high students are much fewer. Besides, though researchers have provided a number of insightful ideas on improving adversity quotient from the point of learners, few practical pedagogical implications are given by them. To cultivate students’ adversity quotient is one of the basic duties for education. Therefore, teachers should adopt different teaching methods and all available teaching resources to raise students’ adversity quotient, and help them overcome difficulties in EFL learning. Language learners’ adversity quotient is under the influence of both internal and external factors, which means a satisfactory result of second language learning requires the combining efforts of learners, teachers and education authorities.On the basis of previous studies, the dissertation aims to investigate junior-high English learners’ average level of adversity quotient to aid English teachers in improving students’ adversity quotient and bettering teaching behaviors. Research data were collected by questionnaire and interview. Research participants were 141 students from Kaifeng JinMing Middle School. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS 17.0 from the following aspects: the average level of English learner’s adversity quotient, difference of adversity quotient in gender, correlation between English achievements and adversity quotient as well as the existing problems in junior-high EFL learning. The results of analysis are as follows: the average level of English learners’ adversity quotient is normal. There is a significant difference in adversity quotient between male and female language learners: female learners exhibit a higher level of adversity quotient in English learning. English achievements associate with adversity quotient positively: learners with higher adversity quotient tend to perform better in English-language learning. And presently, most junior-high students have excessive learning anxieties over English examination.The author tries to account for the results above with some related theories. And here are some possible reasons: psychological services provided by school administrators are somewhat accounting for the moderate level of students’ adversity quotient. Students’ physical and psychological traits may give rise to the gender difference of adversity quotient. And students’ excessive learning anxieties are mainly caused by teachers and parents’ emphasis on exam results.At last, the following suggestions are raised for English teachers: first, teachers should help students acquire the sense of control to arouse learning interests. Second, teachers need to teach students the correct attribution style to promote learning self-efficiency. And special attention must be paid to those students who show a relatively low level of AQ. It is crucial for language teachers to keep up with the new ideas and learn students’ characteristics to adjust teaching behaviors.